Daily Archives: June 30, 2012

2 Chronicles 20:5-12    New Living Translation (NLT)

⁵ Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. ⁶ He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! ⁷ O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? ⁸ Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. ⁹ They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’

¹⁰ “And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. ¹¹ Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. ¹² O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

The lesson reminds us that we need to remember who God is, how powerful He is, and how much He has already done to prove His majesty to us.  If we pray that way we put ht emphasis back on Him and take it off a wish list!  We must remember that  By proclaiming, “Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You” (v. 6), Jehoshaphat was praising God and at the same time reminding himself of the Lord’s greatness. As you pray, remind God of His mercy, talk to Him about His grace, and recall His mighty power.

If you want to unleash God’s power into your life, recognize Him for Who He is, and pray our of His strength, not your weakness. God wants to answer our prayers, but we need to let Him know that we believe that nothing is beyond His power and grace!  That is where our faith meets His provision.

the pilgrim